Year 12 student Sahana Anthony will pursue a career in aerospace engineering.
Students at St Mary's College Ipswich continue to excel academically, with the diverse and dynamic curriculum ensuring every student is encouraged to achieve outstanding results and achieve their personal best.
Year 12 student Sahana Anthony says the subject offerings at SMC will help her in her ambition to become an aerospace engineer. “Space and robotics are the future, and I want to be a part of it," Sahana said.
In her course of study in her senior years, Sahana has benefited from flexible curriculum offerings, including Specialist Maths – the equivalent of Maths C under the old system – which is delivered online in partnership with other Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) schools.
“Studying Specialist Maths online means I get more flexibility in my learning, and I can complete tasks in different timeframes and at my own pace," Sahana said. “If I do need help, I can still check in with my teacher."
For the school, online delivery allows for a broader selection of subjects to be offered. When only a small number of students indicate their interest in studying a subject, opportunities for online delivery can be explored.
Sahana is also studying a Certificate III in Aviation (Drone Pilot), having completed a Certificate II in Aviation Pathways in Year 11. SMC delivers these certificate courses as part of its status as an Aerospace Gateway to Industry School – the only all girls school in Queensland, and the only school in the Ipswich area that is part of the program.
Sahana says her favourite subjects are Maths and Physics because the content is interesting and challenges her thinking. She says all her teachers are supportive and strive to make each lesson interesting and exciting.
“My Math Methods teacher, Ms Minton, plans each lesson to be fun and insightful. Instead of reading the theory of a topic straight from the textbook, she will give our class a practical activity to work on that makes us think about the maths behind it. From these activities we learn and understand the origins of the mathematical formulas, which is much more fun than just reading about them."
Encouraging and extending high performers, some SMC students are invited to undertake university courses alongside their school workload. Year 11 SMC student Claire Parker completed a university subject through University of Southern Queensland this year, achieving a Distinction.
“My teacher Ms Johnston suggested I take the university course to make sure I was being sufficiently challenged academically," Claire said.
“It was difficult at times to balance my assessments for school and the uni work, but I am really glad I kept going. All of my teachers, and particularly Ms Johnston, were very supportive and helped me to achieve my best."
Claire said the experience gave her some insight into the world of university and that she would consider doing another university course while at SMC, if the opportunity arises.
Increasing SMC students' academic advantage, all students are provided with a laptop for the duration of their time at the College. This means SMC students have access to the necessary technology to learn online whenever needed, and are highly successful in doing so.